Cornwall rally against healthcare privatization calls on Govt

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The Ontario Health Coalition saw thousands of people gather across the province Thursday to show their opposition to any further moves by the provincial government to increase the private provision of health care.

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Hundreds were at Queens Park in Toronto and locally outside Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry MP Nolan Quinn, office empty, about 30 people turned up before 4pm to support the local chapter of the Cornwall/SDG Health Coalition. People said signs along the sidewalkshowing pro-public health care and anti-Ford government sentiment, receiving a few honks from passersby.

“Shady land deals on shady health care deals! Time to give it up, Doug! Lies, lies and more lies,” read one of the signs.

Cornwall/SDG Health Coalition co-chairs Lousie Lanctot and Elaine MacDonald highlighted how our well-being as Canadians is at risk as the province takes a stealthy approach to health care funding, nibbling at the edges of publicly funded services and embezzling. dollars in private alternatives. The coalition claimed that oOver the past year, more than $1 billion in public funding has gone to private, for-profit clinics and for-profit staffing agencies.

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“It looks like the government is spending $225 million to have coolers and beer in the corner store… I think it’s a shame that that money isn’t being invested in the most important thing in our lives, which is our health care,” said Lanctot. “I urge you to continue the fight, to continue talking to the people, to your deputies.”

MacDonald said he tried to set up a meeting with Quinn about a month ago and never heard back from his office. Quinn was recently appointed Parliamentary Assistant to Health Minister Sylvia Jones.

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“It’s been 40 years and one month since the Canada Health Act was passed. In April 1984 it received royal assent. This was put into place after years of struggle and debate…it was a fabulous launch then, with so much promise…the fundamental promise was that people would be able to have access to comprehensive and universal healthcare through… citizenship, not financial means,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald complimented the Ontario Health Coalition’s beautiful new signs and said he hopes to see many on lawns across the region to bring awareness to the cause, serving as a sign of a desire to protect the integrity of our health system and health care providers primary.

“People lose sight of how fragile all our rights are,” she said.

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At the beginning of 2024, Ontario health data showed nearly 20,000 residents in the region did not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

In February, Quinn announced through the Ontario Ministry of Health an investment of $4,074,398 to be split between Seaway Valley Community Health Centre, Center de santé Communautaire de l’Estrie, Glengarry Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic and Family Health Team Rideau St. Lawrence.

“Our government is making record investments in our publicly funded health care system,” said a statement from Quinn’s office provided Friday. “This year, we’re investing $85 billion in publicly funded health care, a 31 percent increase since taking office in 2018. We’re making the largest expansion of medical residencies in over a decade , with 60% of the places allocated for family doctors. This is in addition to the 12,500 new doctors registered to practice in Ontario since 2018, including nearly 10% being new family physicians.

“Our $50 billion investment in rebuilding 50 provincial hospitals highlights our commitment to ensuring Ontario has the best publicly funded health care system in Canada. We have some of the shortest wait times in Canada, but we know more needs to be done.”

To learn more about the Cornwall/SDG Health Coalition, visit www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.

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